Enlevé
by disneyclassics101
Summary: Cornelius is abducted during a raid on the Vale. Now he must find a way to escape his captives and find his way home, while trying to figure out his new feelings for his new cellmate. What's a sixteen year old to do? Disclaimer: I do not own DB's "Thumbelina"
1. Prologue

**Enlev** **é**

~0~

Being a prince sucked.

It really did.

I know that's hard for the general masses to understand, but it's true. It's not all just games and money – and power – it was also responsibility, rules, respect, rules, meetings, rules, economics, rules, politics, rules, rules, and more rules!

And that was only the half of it. As a prince, I was expected to uphold pride and respect. I needed to represent discipline, strength, loyalty, justice, and integrity. And besides being a figurehead of the monarchy, I had to partake in combat practice. Never mind that I had a horde of well-trained guards at my disposal or that the royal quarters were the most secure in the Vale. Sword practice in the morning, hand-to-hand combat practice in the afternoon, war strategies in the evening.

Not that we were in a war, but let's just say supernatural creatures weren't always happy with each other.

And yes, you did read that correctly. _Supernatural_ , as you humans call us.

In particular, I'm a fairy. Wings and all.

Laugh all you want, it's true. Call me unmanly if you wish, but just know I've gotten pretty handy with my sword lately and while it might be small to you, it can easily take your eye out. Just saying.

What were we talking about?

Oh, yeah. My birthright.

So, while we weren't at war with anybody, we had to constantly watch our backs. See, fairies aren't always well liked amongst the supernatural. Not because we're fickle little dirt bags or anything but because we hold significant influence over the land they inhabit. As fairies, we get to decide when the seasons come about – though we do have restrictions, Mother nature is not a very forgiving person – and we have the ability to cast spells, even if they aren't as powerful as witches and warlocks, but that's insignificant.

Also threatening would be the sheer size of the fairy population. While we weren't all located in the same area – that would be pretty dumb of us – each kingdom far outweighed the sizes of the local mystics around. And sure, my particular kingdom wasn't the grandest but fairies were fiercely loyal to their own and if one kingdom fell under ruin, another would quickly step up and send aid.

Yeah, we aren't as evil as some of you humans think we are. Seriously, why would we even want to deal with you humans? You guys always seem to have some drama going on. And you're not particularly nice to each other either. You're polite, sure, but you'd just as quickly mock a person behind their back and spread hateful gossip about a neighbor just to make yourself feel good.

You're as bad as the pixies.

And no, they are not fairies. We may look similar but we are definitely not the same. Forgetting the fact that they obviously lack the wings that greatly distinguish us, their ears were pointed, they dressed in green, and almost always had hats. If not, then they wore rags which they easily discarded for any new clothes they found, like those that humans set out to dry.

It's them that are stealing your clothes, not us. So, stop blaming fairies.

Don't let the fact that they help you with housework fool you; they just don't like messes. But they are definitely not above leading you astray in the woods if you don't know your way. They're kind of like sirens in that way.

Don't worry about those though. They're extinct.

Anyway, pixies aren't the worst of our potential enemies. As I said previously, witches and warlocks were more powerful than us in terms of spells. See, while our spells tended to manifest the will of Mother Nature, their spells brought forth malevolent forces against any and all who offend them. And unlike us who were limited to the amount of fairy dust we produce at any given time, witches and warlocks had unlimited access to runes, sigils, or incantations that usually lasted days or weeks at a time. Our spells lasted only moments. (you don't see the gold shine of our dust on the leaves and flowers you pick, do you? I thought so.)

Let's not forget their ability to raise the spirits of the dead either. Aside from the fact that that's just beyond creepy, the spirits of the dead would be able to spy on the witches' and warlocks' enemy with only them being the wiser. Though, you can tell if a spirit is spying on you if you knew what to look for, thankfully.

Also, thankfully, is the existence of white witches, the benevolent witches or "good witch" as you humans call them. Unlike the malevolent witches, white witches actually ask you for permission before performing their magic on you and profess ethic codes for other situations as well. They're the ones that typically traveled from village to village, town to town, seeking jobs as healers or seers, though more typically the former, and were unfortunately spooned into the same witch hunts made in retaliation to the bad witches' actions. They also acted as mediators between the mortal and the spiritual so we often consulted them when we felt threatened by those aforementioned spying spirits.

They were one of the few that willingly formed allies.

But anyway, I'm sure you didn't come here to hear about the allies and enemies of the fairies. You want to know about me.

Well as I said before, I'm the prince. The _only_ Prince. I have no siblings so it's up to me to continue the family tradition and become the next ruler of our little kingdom. Not to mention produce the next heir. So obviously with me being the only chance any of the ladies have into becoming part of the most powerful family in the Vale, I would frequently have to fend off the, uh, 'affections' of some of the more _passionate_ ladies. Seriously, did these girls not have anything else to do but stalk me all day? I had to sneak out of my own home just so I wouldn't have to entertain them. Forget about it being the "polite thing to do" as my father says. Some of these girls hung on too hard if I gave them a brisk "Hello."

It seems I've veered off a bit. My bad. I realize you don't even know my name. Let me introduce myself.

My name is Prince Cornelius. I'm sixteen years old. And there was no way that I could've known what was going to happen soon.


	2. Chapter 1

**Enlevé**

~0~

I don't usually think of myself as a trusting person. I really don't. I've been taught and conditioned to take everything with a grain of salt because a royal can never be too careful around others, even if they seem friendly or are royal themselves. I don't even fully trust the servants that roam around our flower patch. Sure, I trust them to make my bed and help me dress but only because I can s _ee_ what they did. I didn't fully trust the food that was handed to me by the chef, for example. Every item of food or drink had to be passed to a food taster or cupbearer before being served to my family and me.

So, what possessed me to trust this particular servant I will never know.

The day started off like any other.

I was snoozing away in my comfortable bed made of feathers when a maid turned down a flower petal, effectively waking me up when the burst of sun invaded my quarters unforgivingly. I groan and turn my face away but a droning voice enters my ears making me dread the day already. "Sire, did you know you're twenty minutes late for breakfast? Your parents are wondering where you are."

I frown into my bed before turning my face to the youngest – but still pretty old – advisor of my father's court. "I'm tired, Renard."

"Be that as it may, Your Highness, Your Majesties are still expecting you at breakfast."

"Just like yesterday and the day before that and the day before that." I grumble, burrowing my head into the pillow.

"If you did not spend so much time outside the Vale frolicking about who knows where than maybe we wouldn't be having this conversation."

I roll my eyes but get up anyway as the maid and the old goot leave my room. I stretch and see my outfit for the day laid out on a chair nearby. Normally I would have servants help me dress but I refused to have any help years ago. For one, I would have more chances to sneak out without servants coming into my room at all hours of the door. For two, having two or more servants help me get into pants and a shirt was just weird. It's not like I had ties on my back I couldn't reach or something.

Today must be a special day or something because the outfit chosen was in the colors of the royal seal. An orange vest with striped puffed shoulders – I hate that design – long yellow sleeves and tan pants. At least I kept my usual boots. My parents seem to love putting me in clothes that blend with the family's famous auburn hair.

Ugh. Whatever. I'm hungry. I'll wear the stupid clothes if they want me t—Woah. I look good. Oh yeah.

Oh no. Damn. I look good.

I'll have to sneak away again tonight. Ugh.

I scowled. It's not that I like being around my parents or their little court all day but it'd be nice if I didn't have to sneak out and avoid my own house because of stupid squealing girls. Don't get me wrong, though. Some of these girls were definitely easy on the eyes and the fact that they only had eyes for me was great. Except that they _only_ had eyes for _me_. These girls were fun to entertain the first time but they became too clingy the second time I met with them. It's like having that one friend that only had _you_ for a friend so they clung onto you like a leech and stuck to you everywhere whenever. Trust me it may seem amazing to you but after hearing the same squealing voice for days at a time the moment you stepped off your flower, you'd be begging for escape like I was.

Not to mention the thrill you'd get every time you discover a new way to pass by the guards announced. I love watching the guards wonder how exactly I leave the Vale almost every time, especially as they change the patrols every other day just to catch me unawares. Jokes on them. I'll never reveal my secrets.

My parents know better than to ask me how I do it and where I go. They know I won't answer them. But that doesn't stop them from asking me when I was going to settle down with a 'nice girl already'.

I pick at my food as my father starts to speak. "Come on, son. I hear that Salene girl has a wonderful reputation among the noble families. She's humble, sweet, smart…"

"And her blood!" My mother gushes. "She comes from a long line of dukes and duchess'! The oldest family here to hold such titles."

"Yeah, and she also can't shut up about how wonderful her outfits look or how excited she is about the next ball and about who's courting who…" I point out. Mother cuts me off.

"At least, she knows more than you about what's going on here. Where were you last night?"

I guess I was wrong. What a drag. "Here and there." I answer with a smirk.

"Here and there?" I can see my mother's face get red. "You can't just go off by yourself all willy nilly! You could have been killed! And then what? We're just supposed to be okay with that?"

"I do not go off all willy nilly! I bring my sword with me _and_ Buzzby."

"And do you even know how to use that sword of yours? Don't think I don't know you've been ditching your lessons, young man."

"Oh, come on, Mother! Why can't you understand that I don't want to waste my life going to lessons and meetings and court hearings?" I growl.

"And why can't you understand that as the crown prince you have certain abilities to uphold! What will the court think seeing the future King ditching his duties!" My mother responded immediately.

"Court, court, Court! Is that all you think about?"

"I think you two need to calm down…" I hear my father say.

Mother cuts him off too. "No! If he has something to say, he should say it right now."

"Tabitha…"

"Fine. Mother—" I stress the word "—We're the royal family. We lead the fairies. They look up to us. I get it, I do. But I'm sixteen years old, Mom. I don't want to be stuck inside learning how to calculate taxes or sitting in on a meeting where a bunch of men talk to each about how best to strategize in case of war or how to organize the guards, how to keep public relations with other kingdoms! I just want a day to myself."

Mother raises her eyebrows and closes her eyes slightly. Father sighs next to us, ignored. "A day? A day to yourself? That's what you want?" I nod my head aggressively. "We can't have the next heir go missing for an entire day without reason."

"Fine. A few hours every day. Come on I'm going crazy being stuck here!"

I can see her thinking about it and I wait anxiously until she slowly places her palms down on the table and looks up. "Okay. A few hours of recreation. We can do that. Two hours after lunch. Three hours after dinner. Alright?"

"Yes, Mother," I say, sitting back with a sigh. "Finally," I mutter under my breath.

"Oh, good. Glad that's settled." I glance over at my father.

"Well," Mother says. I sigh internally and pick my fork back up. "This is certainly not the morning I was hoping for."

"Sorry for being such a disappointment." I mutter sarcastically.

"My sunshine, how could you say that?!"

"Son, whatever gave that idea?"

I look up at my parents and scowl a little. "Nothing. I was being sarcastic." Seriously? How could they not hear that?

"Even if that's true, I still don't want to hear it." I'm sure if the table wasn't so large, my mother would have bent over the table to grab my hand. "You must know that whatever faults you think you have we will always love you."

Father frowns and leans forward concerned. "Son, if there's anything at all you want to talk about, you can always come to me, alright?"

I wave away their concerns. "Yeah, yeah. I get it. I wasn't being serious. Ok? I won't say that again." I stare them down until they seem satisfied and return to their food. I shake my head at how they can switch from angry or resigned to worry warts at a drop of a hat. I wasn't being serious at all.

Thankfully, they seemed content to eat the rest of the course in silence as we all think to ourselves. Hopefully, those "recreational hours" Mother was talking about start today. The last time I went out with Buzzby I came across a human settlement that seemed interesting. I mean, as far as I can see, the humans were just a bunch of farmers and crop growers but they seem to all congregate in this one area with a lot of those stick and stone buildings. One of those seemed to be particularly interesting as I saw dozens of humans come in and out of there the two hours I was there. And they didn't come out looking "all there" either. Did humans have something similar to the boyair we have here? You know? The fermented drink that burns as it goes down and leaves its victim dizzy and acting stupid? If they do, I want to see if it tastes any different to boyair. Humans won't notice if a drop goes missing.

My train of thought is lost as I hear my mother speak up again.

"I still wish you'd pick a girl already."

Oh. My God.

"Seriously? Mother, we _have_ to do this now?"

"Well, it's not like we're getting any younger, dear. I just want to see you settled down with the right girl."

"And you think one of those girls that throw themselves at me is the right one?" I scoff. "Not likely."

"If you don't like any of those girls than why didn't you just say so?"

"I did! You said I couldn't possibly have met every girl and to come to you later." I try not to roll my eyes in annoyance.

"It seems I did say that," She returns holding a finger to her chin. Now I roll my eyes. "Well, since it seems we're just full of compromises today, how about we make a deal? We send you to different kingdoms, and you can frolic about wherever you wish, _if_ you promise to seriously consider any of the princesses or young ladies of the Courts. Agreed."

Get a new playground and freedom in exchange for spending a few hours with pretty girls? As long as they didn't start stalking me, it's not bad. Not bad at all. "Okay." I see my parents sigh in relief. " _But_ …I take Buzzby with me."

Mother practically has a heart attack in her chair. "That wretched thing?"

"Yes."

"No!"

"Yes!"

"You could get hurt!"

"And how many times has Buzzby let me get hurt?"

"Just because it hasn't happened yet doesn't mean it won't ever happen." There is no winning with my mother on this. I look at my father for help.

"Tabitha… Let the boy have his bee." Father chimes in, coming to my rescue. Father always seemed to choose his battles, but no one could say he was a terrible ruler. It may come as a surprise to many that the just and quiet ruler used to be as daring and adventurous as me. Although, Mother insists he wasn't as reckless as I am. I can't really picture my Father as being like me, though, even if he was the one to first show me how to ride on Buzzby, my bumble.

Yes, Buzzby is a bumblebee. Don't laugh. He's the best damn bumble for miles around.

I tune back in to the conversation in time to hear "If you insist on taking the bumblebee than you're also taking some guards with you."

Typical. "Never in a million years would I expect to go anywhere without you sending guards after me."

"It's not a crime to worry about my child." She dabs at her mouth with a napkin. "Ok. Enough talking. We have a big day planning the Solstice Festival _and_ I have to find out which kingdoms have plenty of eligible ladies." She stands up and calls for her ladies-in-waiting. "Genevieve? Cecelia?"

No answer.

Mother's eyes furrowed. "Genevieve? Cecelia?" Still no answer, which was unusual as they liked to stick close to the Queen. And it's not like the flower walls were extraordinarily thick either.

Something's wrong.

I can see my father shift and stand with eyes furrowed himself. I see him lock eyes with my mother as he walks close to her. "Do you hear that?" he whispers to her.

For a second, I'm confused at what he's talking about until I pay closer attention and hear it myself. Faint yells were coming from the town. Just as suddenly as I heard that I could also hear from just outside our flower:

"We're being attacked!"

I watch horrified as we immediately hear what must have been the same man cut down by the spear that penetrated the petal making up the back wall. As if that was the signal to everyone outside, our little safe haven is ambushed by a fleet of creatures I'd never seen before. I don't even know if you could call it a creature as they looked more like humanoid shadows that moved into the room like water down a river.

Whatever they were, they were still penetrable as I immediately withdrew my sword and lunged toward the closest one. I could see out of the corner of my eye my father join in the foray as he protected my mother.

Two ambushed me at once and my sword clinked against the spears they used to try to impale me. Being that spears are made to be thrown from a distance toward the intended target, I try to convince myself that these whatever-they-are are not good at hand-to-hand combat or close-range combat but the fact that I can feel bruises forming on my legs and arms begs to differ. I grunt as one of the spears nicks my arm.

I hate that I'm mostly on defense so I think quickly, wondering how in the world I was going to wave off these creatures. I dodge a jab at my head as I trail my eyes down their forms and it's like a light goes off in my head. Shadows are formed from light but they can be cast away by light too.

I needed to time this attack right so I start edging to toward a table on a side wall where a very expensive vase sat. Better to break a vase than to break my bones. My plan works out well as I easily distract one of the things and I turn to face on the second when I hear a chilling scream. "Mother!" I barely have time to see her uncharacteristically punch the shadow thing attacking before I instinctively lift my sword and block a swipe by a spear. I saved myself a sound gashing but the unexpected swing threw me off balance and slammed against the ground on my back. My breath is taken out of me and I have a momentary moment of shock before I see a spear coming down at me. I spin and hear the tear of the petal behind me, thankful it wasn't my head being torn, and collect my dust into my hand. This takes concentration normally but I hope this brief moment is enough to do what I need.

I grasp my sword and let my dust shoot out of my hand and wrap around my blade before I thrust it into the shadow man above me. I panic in the brief moment nothing happens until the creature lets out a roar of brief and _disintegrates_ right before my eyes. I know some living creature of some type just died but yes! Ha! I win!

My momentary glory is forgotten when I remember my mother. I search frantically for her and sigh when I see her being flanked by my father as he fights off one of the intruders. My relief is short lived, however, as I see a second go to pounce on my unsuspecting father from his left. Don't even ask how I managed to do what I did next because I have no idea.

Between one breathe and the next I managed to swing my arm out, with my sword, and send it flying directly into the creatures' abdomen, somehow bypassing my father, and with gold dust still lighting the blade.

I take a moment to stare in shock at the now empty space where my sword rested to wonder how in the hell I managed to do that. I've never taken throwing lessons in my life!

I take a deep breath and turn to Mother, wanting to ask if she's all right as Father takes care of the last darkness embodiment, when two more enter in through the rip of the back wall. Beyond annoyed and infuriated, I yell at my parents to go as I pick up my sword.

"Cornelius, are you crazy?" I hear Mother shriek.

"We can't just leave you."

My sword parries a spear as I answer back, "You have to take Mother and go!"

"I will not leave my son with these infernal things to hide like a coward!"

"It's not like you know how to protect yourself, Mother! You need –" I grunt as the force of a spear pushes the hilt of my sword into my stomach "—to go somewhere safer!"

"He has a point Tabitha!"

"And where exactly do you expect me to go—Watch out!"

I barely register her warning before I hear Father groan in pain. Between parries I glance over in his direction and see a massive hole in the flower where I assume he was thrown through. Mother stands at the hole gaping down at the scene in horror.

"Mother, when you get the chance grab Father and go! He's not as young as he used to be!"

"But–"

"Mother, please! I can't fight this thing if I'm worried about you too!"

With a glance, I see she's finally listening to me as she shoots up in the air apparently finding an opening. I have to turn my eyes back to my own fight but I do hear her yell "Be careful!" before the only ones in the near vicinity are me and the intruder. It's a scary sight to see when your opponent has no face yet still manages to send chills down your spine. I take a deep breath and concentrate more than I ever have in my life as I try to find a weakness in this being's form.

It's too late though. The creature has apparently found mine.

I can't help but stare in shock at where my sword lay inches from me where it landed after it got knocked out of my hand. I don't notice the butt of the spear coming toward me until it slams into my stomach and all the air leaves my lungs. My back burns as I slide across the floor. I'm barely oriented when the shadow looms over, spear raised and coming toward me. I panic. Was this how I was doing to die?

Apparently not.

What had to be from out of nowhere I see my sword come flying again, but this time, hitting the spear and knocking it out of the shadow's hand instead of the things body. I twitch as the butt of the spear hits my stomach _again_ and I just _know_ it's going to leave a bruise there for a few days. At least I'm not dead.

The creature turns to whatever thwarted its deed but the thwarter gets to him first. I see what must be the dining table's cloth come over its head and cover its body. It struggles briefly before it seems to morph down into the floor back to wherever it came from. I look away from the floor and to my rescuer.

"Your Highness, the shadows have infiltrated the Vale and are surrounding the castle. You must sneak out before they kill you!" the man above me, who I can only assume is a servant of the castle from his clothes, says.

It takes me a moment to digest what he said. "My parents!" What happened to my parents?

"They're safe, Your Highness. There's a legion of guards protecting them just off the East wing, but you must get out now!" he urgently prodes me to get up and I do. I follow out of the flower and we stick behind boulders and stems, keeping an eye out for the enemies as he leads me through a beaten path towards where I assume my parents are.

I assumed correctly as I see the legion the man spoke about surrounding my parents in a tight circle as they held off the attackers, but I'm floored by what the man says next.

"I hope you took a long look because that's the last you'll ever see of them."

My eyes widen as I'm pounced from behind and my face meets the ground. A weight settles on my back and I grit my teeth as I squirm. There's no give. I stop when a pair of boots stand in front of my face. "We didn't need to keep them alive. That's just to make you cooperate."

I spit dirt out of my mouth before asking, "Cooperate for what?"

The man crouches down, hands twined together over his knees. He slowly grins, looking maniacal, and says, "I guess you could say… Revenge." The last word is said like he could almost taste how delicious it is. Gross.

"Why would I ever cooperate in your sick schemes?"

"Because then Mom and Dad go…" he waves with the next word, "bye-bye."

I grind my teeth and glare at the man, who smiles even wider (if that's possible) knowing what my response will be. I don't bother to struggle as I'm hauled up by the shadow behind me and take one last look at my family. I even crane my neck to keep them in sight for as long as possible as I'm pulled further into the bushes where a dirt hole is. They push me down first and I land hard on my right shoulder. I grasp at it in pain and am pushed down again when the shadow lands on me. I see the man's boots land next to my head before a searing pain grows on my temple and know no more.


	3. Chapter 2

**Enlevé**

~0~

My hearing comes back first, not that it helped much. It took me a while to figure out what the repetitive noise coming into my ears were. The first was the stomping of three sets of boots, which meant there was one more person than he remembered. Or two, I don't remember the shadow people having audible footsteps. The second was the sound of dragging, and now that I focus on the noise I can feel sensation returning to my legs and arms. My arms were outstretched above me and I could feel a set of hands pulling on them, which meant I was right and the two-new people aren't shadows. My legs were listless and dragging along the dirt floor.

The pain comes next. I can feel where the cut on my arm has crusted over with dried blood and where my shoulder throbs. The bruise on my stomach stings from where I'm folding over it and I don't even have to look at myself to know there's a bump on the side of my head. I try not to moan in discomfort but a hiss passes through my teeth when the person pulling on my injured shoulder tugs particularly hard.

"Ah… So, the prince is awake, is he? Just set him over there, boys. There's a lot to be discussed."

The tugging began again but I didn't open my eyes yet. I could feel one of my wings get caught under my body and I wiggled trying to move it. Tugging on a fairy's wings was equivalent to having a fistful of hair yanked. Painful and annoying. It was but a few seconds later when I was dropped onto a flat, dirt surface. It was now that I opened my eyes and the world tilted, black spots in my eyes I barely noticed with how dark the room was. If it even was a room. From where I was, the only thing I could make out was the rock ceiling above me. Everything else was still shrouded in darkness but I suspected we were still underground.

Too familiar pair of boots stepped in front of my legs. "Do you know why you're here, Your Highness?"

"Let me guess, you love fairies so much you just had to have one on display?" I ask cheekily.

The slime ball smirks and lifts a foot. I cry out as his boot stomps on the throbbing bruise on my stomach. "Funny. But no. You see, praised child of the Fairies, you are the means to justice."

I cough. "Justice for what, _connard_?"

He stomps on me again and I jump up, ready to punch his face out, but the two minions grab my arms again. I lift my leg and send it into the douche's face earning me a punch to my own. Blood pools in my mouth.

"I suggest you don't try that again."

I spit the blood on his face.

He rubs it off and frowns, slapping me in the face. "I see we're going have to be rough with you. I hope you remember how vulnerable dear old mom and dad were to us."

"That's only because you surprised us. We know you're coming now."

I wish I could have kicked that smirk off his face. "Do you? Do you really? Do you even know who I am?"

"I don't have to know who you are to know we're going to kick your ass."

He holds up a finger and wiggles it. "See, with anyone else you might have a chance but with us, you don't have a chance."

My forehead hurt from how hard I'm glaring at the man. "And why not?"

"You see, oh stupid one," he starts as his form starts to waver and grows in size. My eyes widen as I see a disturbingly familiar form take over the fairy man I've been seeing the past few hours. "We know all your secrets."

He was ugly. He was grotesquely ugly. And wrinkly, short, with limbs longer than his body. Oh no. Oh, god no. This was so not happening.

"Recognize me now, Highness?" he asked mockingly.

"You're a Spriggan!" I spat out.

"Correct."

Spriggans were the worst of the worst. They were horrific beings that only cared about themselves. They could be as wise as old men but they had the attitude of little greedy children. Spriggans were the cause of many human troubles. Did a ship suddenly come under the wrath of fierce winds that sent it into an outcrop of rocks, sinking it? The Spriggans did that. Did otherwise healthy crops come undone and rot before harvest season started? The Spriggans probably sent a swarm of poisonous water onto them. Did a human ever find itself going in circles in a forest even though the trees kept changing? Spriggans were notorious for delighting in confusion and danger. Countless humans have fallen prey to their mischievous and other mystical creatures weren't immune either. They were hated among everyone. Especially fairies. You see, for centuries Spriggans were used as bodyguards for our kind. Back then, their true nature was only rumored, never certain. Aside from their heinous attitude, they were also known for their illusionary magic. Every action they took, where they got up close and personal with their victim, they usually had the face of the being they were targeting. They were especially prone to mimicking the face of the being's loved ones to incite feelings of betrayal in the victim so they could watch the mayhem afterward. When my great-grandfather finally got sufficient evidence of their activities, as they had been moonlighting as some of the court members and stealing money from the treasury under the member's names, he had them terminated and more than half of them executed for treason.

"So, what? This is revenge for letting you go? You should be glad there's any of your kind left at all!"

"Glad? Glad?! We were one of the most feared creatures in existence. The most powerful. The richest creatures in the world. People cowered when they saw us coming. But then you slimy little fairies thought yourselves above us. So righteous and fair." His lips curl in a snarl. "Big mistake." He looks up at the men holding me. "Do it."

I barely had time to register the whoosh of air before I got reacquainted with darkness again.

~0~

It was similar to last time. My senses came back one by one. First my hearing, then the pain, then smell. I could tell this time that no one was holding me and I wonder where the men had taken me. Unlike last time, however, an explosion of light blinded me when I opened my eyes. Hissing, I brought a hand to shade them as I tentatively open them again. I look around warily and almost jerk in surprise.

I'm in a dungeon. An actual dungeon underground with bars encompassing three quarters of it. The light was coming from a lantern strung up in one corner of the cell and I was laying uncomfortably on a violet petal. I shift over on my side and groan at how stiff my muscles feel. My nose settles on my upper arm and man, do I stink! How long have I been down here?

I lift my shirt and look down at my stomach and my eyes furrow at the color of the bruise. It was yellowish. I thought bruises took days to turn this color. Wait. Hold up. There is no way I could have been knocked unconscious for days at a time. No way. Anyone that strong would have killed me. And when did I get this bruise on my leg? I don't remember anyone hitting me there.

Wondering what other bruises I had without my knowledge, I try to stand up. My legs wobble. I turn onto my hands and knees, breathing shallowly. I almost choke when I try to spread my wings and feel resistance. My eyes widen and I sit up. Obviously, I can't see my back even though I try to so I stretch to reach the base of my wings. I don't reach it.

I can feel panic start to quicken my breathing when an obnoxious voice comes from a cell in front of mine. "There's rope tying them together, pretty boy."

My head jerks to that direction but I can't see anyone. "Who said that?"

A raucous laugh answers me, grating my ears with its nasal-like quality. "I did, pretty boy. Nice to meet yah. How do you do? How you feeling?"

I stare in the general direction, wondering if this moron was being serious. "Seriously? You're asking me that?"

"It's called being polite, little boy. Something you aren't being right now."

"I am not a little boy, _sir_." I say the last word mockingly.

"Oh yeah? Is that right? And what do they call you, little boy?" He shoots back, emphasizing my new nickname.

I cross my arms. "I asked you first."

"Testy. Testy." Comes the voice again but this time I can hear a set of footsteps getting closer to me. The person comes into the light as they continue with, "Beetle's my name, and razzmatazz is my game. What's yours, chum?"

My eyebrows shoot up for I was indeed looking at a blue beetle. "Cornelius."

"Unfortunate name." The beetle says making my eyebrow twitch in annoyance. "But it won't matter too much down here." He spread his arms gesturing around the place before leaning on the bars. "So, what you in for?"

"I'm not _in_ for anything. I'm not a criminal." I say forcibly.

"Woah. Woah. You think I'm a criminal? Did you even _see_ who brought you in? Those are the real criminals! I've never done anything bad in my life! And red head over here couldn't have either."

I look to where he gestured to his right and vaguely see an outline of a person. I guess my eyes are getting adjusted to the darkness. Even still, I can't tell what the person looks like, only that they're laying down. "Red head?"

"Yeah. Look." He moves over to the person. "Hey, Beautiful!" He yells obnoxiously loud. "Wake up, there's someone here to meet ya!"

How this person has managed to sleep the whole time this man talked I'll never know. How this person managed not to jump awake when the beetle screamed at them I'll never know either. Just his voice was giving me a headache. Must have been around a long time for them to ignore the guy.

"Toots!"

"I'm not your toots."

The sleepy voice surprised me, not because it was lacking annoyance – they really must have been here a long time – but because it was a girl's voice. A beautiful girl's voice.

"What's going on?"

"We have a new cellmate, Red. Maybe you'll be more talkative with this one."

I can't help but stare when she turns and looks in my direction. She was beautiful. Even as dirty as she was I could tell she was gorgeous. "Hello…" Why did that come out all breathy.

"Ha! She stun ya with her beauty, kid?" I hear the beetle say.

I glare over at him, fed up. "Do you ever shut up?"

"Shut up? How can I? You're the first thing to happen in God knows how long down here!"

"How long have you two been down here?"

"Too long! And if you haven't noticed, chum, there's no way to tell time down here."

"We had the Annual Bloom some days ago."

"It's Spring?!" Was he always this dramatic? "I've been down here two seasons?! My fans will think me dead!"

"Your fans?" I say doubtfully.

"Yeah, my fans! I'm a connoisseur of sweet nectars," He rubbed at the bars, "a designer of rare threads," his moustache came next, "and a judge of beautiful women," he leaned against the bars he shared with 'Red'.

Red doesn't seem to like the compliment. "Would you stop?"

"You too? You wound me, sweetheart!"

Before he can continue with the dramatics, I cut him off and address the third party. "And what's your name?"

She jumps at me addressing her and turns to me. I see her eyes fall to my downturned wings and she gasps and points. "You're… You're one of them."

I blink. "I beg your pardon?"

"A fairy!" she gushes and stands. "I've never seen a fairy before!"

I stand too and lean my face against the bars. "But you're fae." I point out.

Her enthusiasm drops a little. "Fae? What's a fae?" She asks confused.

My eyebrows shoot up at this. "You mean you don't know?"

"Oh, uh…I-I don't actually know. I've been here as long as I can remember."

"You don't remember coming here?"

"No." She looks down sheepishly.

"Oh." I scrunch my chin up thoughtfully. "You never told me your name."

"You never told me yours." She responds immediately.

I smirk at her cheekiness. "I'm Cornelius."

"Cornelius? That's a funny name." She giggles before looking stricken. "Oh, I-I mean it's perfect."

"Okay. Okay. Enough with the flirting!" Wow. He was quiet longer than I thought. "So, what's your story?"

I push away from the bars and sit on the ground, Red following my action. The beetle stays leaning on the bars. "My kingdom was ambushed…."

"Fairies have kingdoms?" Red asked.

"Kingdom? Who are you in your kingdom?" Beetle asked frantically.

"Is there a prince?" Red asks with wonder in her voice.

I smirk in amusement at her. "Yes."

"He must be terribly handsome."

The handsomest. "Oh, he is."

"Strong and brave." I can almost see her eyes dilate thinking about him – me – thinking about me.

"None like him."

"I love to meet the prince."

"Oh, come on, Toots!" Beetle cuts in, annoyance in his words, moustache twitching. He had been watching our little exchange. I guess my face gave it away. "He's the prince! Look at his clothes!" It was my clothes that gave it away? Well then.

"You're a prince?"

"Yes." I say proudly.

Mr. Beetle speaks up. "Don't sound so smug, princely. You're stuck down here too."

"So are you."

"Whatever you say." He waved his arm around. "So, how'd they nab a prince anyway?"

"Well, as I was saying…" I stare at him dryly. "My kingdom was ambushed by these shadow-creatures. They almost looked like ghosts with spears—"

I'm interrupted again by Mr. Beetle. "You were ambushed by Bodach's?! And you're alive?!" He cries alarmed.

Now it's my turn to be confused. "Bodach's? What are those?"

"Wait. You don't know what those things are? And you're a prince?" the beetle asks slightly laughing.

"No. I do not know what those things are. Would you care to enlighten me?" I ask him annoyed.

"What are they?!" he starts with flair. "They're the fiercest creatures known to man, a vision of danger, a messenger of death! And you, sir, should be dead!"

I scoff. "Now I know you're lying."

"Why would I lie?" I could see his moustache twitch. Was that moustache sentient or something? "I'm stuck down here as much as you are! Besides, they can't come down here. They're made of shadows. No light means no shadows. They don't exist underground. What kind of weakness is that anyway? Demonic-like beings that can't be in the dark. They breathe death and they can't be in the dark…"

"Woah. Wait. Wait a minute. What do you mean they bring death?"

"They're like vultures! They can smell death coming before it even happens. The more deaths, the more there are!"

I clenched my teeth. "There were no deaths."

"You must not have seen them, pal."

"No. I saw my people alive. We were attacked by these 'Bodach' and I figured out that lighting my sword with fairy dust killed them. The guards were taking them out when the bast—uh, the Spriggan – had two of the shadows ambush me."

"Wait. You," he points to me, "killed them? Like, they're dead? Never coming back? Meeting the grim reaper dead?!"

I roll my eyes and answer him blandly. "That's the only dead there is."

"But you can't kill them! That's why they're so feared! It's like killing a ghost."

"They exploded in front of me. Pretty sure that means they're dead." I tell him.

"This just keeps getting crazier—"

"How did they get you?" I hear the girl ask.

"It's rude to interrupt, toots—"

"I fell for the Spriggans' trick." I interrupt, smiling at her and making Mr. Beetle throw his hands up. "He used illusionary magic to make himself look like a fairy and wore clothes to look like a servant. He 'killed'," I shoot a look at you-know-who, "a shadow coming at me, then 'helped' me escape through a secret door. I followed, saw my parents with some guards, and got jumped. Had to leave to keep my family safe."

"How terrible." The girl sighs.

"How did he kill it?" Beetle must be pretty bored to keep asking me questions.

"Wrapped him with a table cloth."

"Shadows can't exist in darkness." He repeats gleefully.

"Yeah, you've said that." I point out. "What you haven't said, though, is why you're here."

"I was ambushed just like you." He says before acting out his woes as best as he could in a small cell. "I was walking out of my best show yet with my cousins. The crowd loved me! We were the talk of the town. The ladies worshipped me! The guys wanted to be me! I couldn't go anywhere without being recognized! But then…. Oh, ho ho, but then—"

"He made fun of the shadows during his show and they got upset." Red surprisingly, but thankfully, cuts in.

"My story!" Mr. Beetle cries.

"I can totally see that happen." I snicker.

Beetle humphs.

"And you?" I ask Red.

She blushes slightly and gnaws at her lower lip. "I don't know."

I'm skeptical. "You don't know?"

"I—I think I was born here?"

"Hate to break it to you, but the shadows could definitely not make a beautiful girl like you." I smirk at her. I'm being completely serious even though I'm flirting with her a little. This may be surprising, but damn, this girl really is beautiful, and she hasn't started talking about stupid things yet, which is a plus in my book.

My smirk widens when I see her blush deepen. "No. I mean, I don't remember ever not being here."

"So, you think your parents were prisoners here, and gave birth to you?"

She nods.

"Or you came here as a baby."

She nods again.

I don't know what to say so I settle with, "I'm sorry."

"Thank you, Cornelius." She smiles.

I smile back.

"Well, as much fun as this has been," three guesses who this is, "I'm hitting the hay."

I furrow my eyebrows. There was no light down here and definitely no sense of time. "You're tired already?"

"Down here, bud, you go to sleep when you feel tired. Night!"

As he goes to the back of his cell and disappears into the darkness, I turn to Thumbelina. She smiles lightly at me and nods her head in goodbye. "Good night," she says as she picks up her rose-petal blanket.

"Good night."

It's only after I've laid down on the violet petal – on my side as ropes on my back were a pain – and found a comfortable spot to rest my head on my shoes – I lied, there isn't one – did I remember something very important about my hot new cell mate. She didn't tell me her name!


	4. Chapter 3

**Enlev** **é**

~0~

I never knew I would miss my duties as a Prince until I was confined to a cell underground. Days, or weeks (who knows?), passed by uneventfully. I had thought about timing the meals we received, to tell when breakfast signified a new day, but I forgot Spriggans loved to confuse their victims. Sometimes they would bring in food three times a day, sometimes twice, sometimes five times, sometimes with defined patterns, sometimes sporadically. No wonder Beetle told me to sleep whenever I wanted to. Even my bruise faded away a while ago.

Days and nights passed in a whirl of darkness and mostly silence. There were times Red and I would be awake at the same time, and we'd talk to each other, but conversations usually fell short when we inevitably hit a topic she didn't know much about. It was obvious she hadn't been outside of her cell for a long time. Beetle wasn't any better at conversation either. He usually just ended up talking about himself like the conceited fool he was.

My back was still tied. That sucked. I could feel my wings gradually chafing and growing raw. I can't even lay on my back anymore from the pain that flared up. I slept on my stomach most days now. I could honestly say that I had never been aware of how much I used my wings and back until I couldn't anymore. I can't lean against the wall, facing my cell mates – Companions? Neighbors? – either. I can't even lean on my sides. My captives don't bother being gentle when they let us out to clean our cells. They at least do that, though I can honestly say I've never seen a bruise on Red either.

Oh, since she's been brought up again, can you believe she doesn't have a name? Yeah, apparently the unoriginal nickname Beetle gave her was the closest thing she had to a name – or at least one she could remember. She had absolutely no idea who she was. Or what she was. I'm still pretty sure she is fae but I shamelessly tuned out the tutor when he went on and on about them. Once I heard they were similar to fairies and used magic the same way, I figured they were wingless fairies and left it at that. I do distinctly remember something about them using magic without needing dust but the memory escapes me. It doesn't matter too much though. It's not like we had much opportunity to try some spells down here.

Day in and day out, we just sat around, staring at each other, the ground, the bars, some speck of dust in the corner. As I said before, sometimes we talked, and sometimes we just took comfort in the silence. Sometimes all you needed was having someone in the same situation as you next to you. Sometimes, when she was particularly in a good mood she'd start humming and I swore the darkness receded a little bit at the sound of her voice. It was beautiful, as beautiful as her.

She's humming again right now. It is low, soothing, and is putting me to sleep. Wanting to stay awake since I can clearly hear the Spriggans close by, I think of the past.

I remember when my parents took me on this visit to a far-off kingdom. It took two weeks to get there.

I remember I spent most of the time asking my parents that dreaded question. Yes, _that_ question. _Are we there yet?_ Yup. They were annoyed. I wasn't exactly the teen that enjoyed sitting for hours at a time looking out a window at tree leaves and dirt roads.

Anyway, it took two weeks to get there. And that's not counting the hours spent on the side of the road taking naps and meal breaks. All in all, I think it took over eighteen days to get to the kingdom of Arias, where "no fairy is without tune". We stayed there for two lunar cycles; just enough time to be there for their _Festival de la Ballade_.

And enough time to want to be rid of _her_.

More on _her_ later.

It was midday when we finally got to the kingdom of endless twittering. And I meant that in the most annoyed way possible. It was like the Arian people opened their mouths just to hear their own voice. We could hear them from kilometers away and I came into the kingdom with a headache. The sun was shining that day, and it was directly in my line of sight from the moment we crested over the hill. There were spots in my eyes even after I had the curtain to the window closed for a long time after. My legs were numb and I was bored.

I couldn't wait to get out of the carriage.

I scowled as we came to a stop in front of what served as the royal palace in this kingdom. It was built into a rock wall, cave-like and dark if not for the candles lighting up the entryway. Vines came down over the front entrance serving as a barrier to human's nosey eyes. The King and Queen and an entourage of servants who didn't want to be there either stood in front of it, polite smiles and appropriate welcoming gestures at the ready.

Greetings were pleasant enough. I won't bore you with the details though, just that there was a lot of handshakes, bowing, and curtseying among everyone. I tried not to yawn as I looked around the courtyard, already forming an escape plan in my head for later. I could see a sentry guard from my spot up in the vines, four guards stood by the front door, two more at the gates, one guard passed by us just a few minutes ago in the courtyard…

"Come along, son. Pay attention," my father said, cutting into my thoughts. I turned and walked up to him, and felt his arm wrap around my shoulders as he spoke with the Arian king. "How on earth did you ever manage to carve into the rock like that?" Father gestured at the deep groves in the wall.

The Arian king grinned with pride. "Oh, with a marvelous artist that just sprang up out of nowhere! He came frolicking into the castle one day during my people's meetings and insisted I let him carve into my home!"

"And you just let the fool do it?"

"Well, I insisted the man stop talking nonsense, until he showed me this delightful carving in a rock of a bird–"

Not caring much, I tried to listen in to my mother's conversation just behind me, though it wasn't particularly interesting either.

"What a pleasure to have you here, Queen Duval–"

"Please, you may call me Tabitha, your grace." My mother giggled.

"Margaret, please, if you may." A pause. "Tabitha, you must allow me to take you to lunch in the gardens. It is divine this time of year!"

"It must be! I've never seen flowers this shade of blue before."

"Oh, darling, aren't they beautiful? We hired a new gardener and he had the strangest and most brilliant idea to–"

I tuned out their chatter, and with nothing else to do, I studied the rooms we passed.

They were by far more intricately detailed and cut out than ours were, but, then again, we lived in a frilly flower and not a fortress like this. It's dark, very dark. We are quickly leaving behind the only natural light source around here and only small fires lit our way. Some walls had carvings made into the stone, others had paintings smeared across them, old battle scenes and concerts eternally recorded on them. The place seemed cold for some reason. Tapestry hung on the walls, with lines I can only assume to be for songs. Old musical instruments hung next to them too. I liked music just fine, but it was obvious these people had some obsession with music. I could tell, even with everyone else speaking low, that the rooms were made to amplify voices to the optimal effect.

Which was more than annoying, especially at dinner that night. Every clink of the plates and every slam of the chalices on the table echoed off the walls, giving me a headache. As it was, I ate as quickly as reasonably possible, so I could be excused. The Arian queen's next remark stopped my plan all together.

"So, Tabitha, I hear your son is quite popular amongst the ladies of your court," she said.

I inwardly groaned.

My mother smiled with pride. "Why yes, we recently moved his fencing lessons out into the courtyard. He has made quite the impression on the young ladies."

"How quaint," Queen Margaret replied, smiling politely, "I'm sure they are just besides themselves at seeing such a strapping young man. Tell me, has anyone managed to gain your fancy?"

"No, ma'am." I replied.

"Oh, well. I'm sure you just haven't met the right one yet. Perhaps she might even be here among our court," she smiled a little wider.

King Dacian chortled. "She wants you to meet her cousin's daughter, Prince Cornelius."

I deadpanned.

"Why, dear, you didn't have to be so blunt about it," Queen Margaret squawked.

"What's her name, darling?" Mother pipped in.

"Camile Leblanc. Fitting name for the girl. Her hair is as gold as the rapeseeds in the fields just beyond the gates. She's a remarkable singer and dancer. She's been the star performer of the _Festival de la Ballade_ for the past three years, that one."

"She sounds like a lovely girl," Father said. I inwardly rolled my eyes.

"Yes, I'm quite proud of her. I haven't seen her for days, however. Perhaps I can invite her to tea in the garden with us tomorrow, Tabitha. If you don't mind."

"Of course not, dear."

"Mayhap she'll give us a clue on what song she has picked for the festival."

Before they could go on about this girl I didn't know, I asked, "Excuse me, what is this festival?"

"The _Festival de la Ballade_ is the pride and joy of the Arian Kingdom," answered King Dacian. "Every year on the coolest day of the summer the entire kingdom gathers in the fields to celebrate another year of endurance, strength, and peace. The courtiers make a show of putting on a performance for our viewing pleasure."

"It's simply marvelous. There is music, dancing, and our royal cooks make special dishes that are just exquisite!"

"It sounds wonderful," Father said.

"When is it taking place?" Mother asked.

"In a fortnight, Madam."

"Perfect! We'll still be here," Mother replied. "And I'm sure Cornelius would love to escort Miss Leblanc to the festival."

Of course, my mother would find a way to set me up while we're here. She'd been trying to corral me into meeting every eligible girl the court has to offer back home as soon as I turned fourteen a few months ago. Why I didn't assume she'd do the same thing while visiting Arias I'll never know. I suspect that the sudden visit to 'our most faithful allies' had the ulterior motive of introducing me to more potential wives.

I fought the urge to scoff and smiled politely. "I'll be happy to." Not.

Little did I know that the girl was a total psycho.

I'm pretty sure I first met her the following day, right before my mother and the Arian queen set off for their tea party. Father, King Dacian, and I were off to the library to discuss trade matters (not so much me. I was obligated to listen and learn) when Mother, Queen Margaret, and _her_ walked by on their way to the gardens.

I remember thinking she was nice-looking. At that age, most girls were attractive. She was the plain sort and I could tell the Queen was exaggerating her looks, but she was easy on the eyes nonetheless. Either way, her eyes were focused only on me and I knew she liked what she saw. I gave her the grin meant only for the ladies and nodded my head in greeting before walking off with the men.

I saw her again the next night at dinner. Apparently, she made a good enough impression on my mother, so Queen Margaret felt it was okay to invite an extra guest over. The conversion somehow ended on an invitation for a stroll through the gardens from my mother on my behalf for the both of us. The unexpected plans ruined my own plans to escape and I was surly. I tried to keep as calm and polite as possible since I knew Mother would be hearing about our little rendezvous soon enough and would have plenty to say about what I did wrong without my attitude being thrown into the mix.

I needn't have bothered. Camile Leblanc barely said anything through the night. Basically, the only conversation we had went like this,

"I hear you're the star of the show in the festival."

"Yes. I've been the lead singer the past three years, sire."

"How nice. What do you sing about?"

"Peace and nature, sire."

"Every year?"

"Yes."

"Ever think about singing about something else?"

"Never."

"Why not?"

"Why sing about anything else?"

"What about traveling and seeing the countryside?"

"Why would I want to do that?"

"To see something different. Experience adventure."

"But I'm quite content here. I don't need to see anything else, my lord."

Well then.

It was terribly boring, and we didn't have any other topic to talk about. I could even tell our chaperone for the evening was bored out of her mind too. She didn't leave much of an impression, but seemingly, I left a good one because I kept seeing her everywhere after that.

Everywhere.

It didn't help that my mother and Queen Margaret encouraged her in approaching me.

I had thought it was perfectly normal to see her at my tennis tournament the following day. She was hardly the only girl to come out and watch the visiting prince get hot and sweaty, and frankly I hadn't cared much that she, specifically, had come. What full-blooded male didn't like having the attention of ogling girls only on them? She had planted herself right in my line of sight, and thinking back a little harder, only really kept her eyes on me without even flicking her eyes to the play of the ball. Afterward, she – not the servant – handed me a towel and practically followed me to my room as her maid brought up the rear. Again, our conversation was slightly stilted, though she did talk a little more this time about the recent match and quite obviously showing her lack of knowledge on the subject.

I saw her twice more that day, again with my mother and the Arian queen whilst they walked to tea and then again at suppertime. That evening my father and the Arian king seemed more inclined to get us two to talk to each other, much to my annoyance. Luckily, Miss Leblanc had a curfew that evening so I wiped my hands from having to entertain her with a walk after.

The following day I was scheduled to take a ride out into the fields with some guards and the men. Unlike my kingdom, Arias had the habit of employing dragonflies – not butterflies – as their preferred method of transportation, to my relief. Butterflies are not manly or majestic creatures no matter how much Mother insists they are. They were only a formality, anyway, since almost immediately upon getting there the guards took up purchase along the outer rim of the field so that us royals could fly freely among ourselves. Being fourteen, I immediately urged my father into a race, which he reluctantly agreed to when King Dacian showed interest. Some guards followed along a little to the side as we took off.

I lost. Whatever.

Anyway, we got back to the castle only to find Miss Leblanc, her mother, my mother, and Queen Margaret enjoying luncheon together. Obviously, we were paired off for another walk after they were done.

She had a melancholy look on her face as we walked outside, though she tried to hide it. "What's on your mind, Miss Leblanc?"

"Oh, nothing important, my lord," she mumbled, making an extra effort to clear her facial expression.

"Alright then," I said.

Ten seconds passed before she spoke again. "I will not be able to visit as frequently as I've been doing, sire."

I silently cheered. "How unfortunate, Miss." I could finally execute my escape plans tomorrow night.

And it worked. The following night, anyway.

I don't remember why I couldn't follow through the first time.

Once I got out of the royal grounds, I flew away to a tall tree I saw on the journey there, right outside the Arian border. I flew to the tallest branch I could find and sat on a thicket of leaves overlooking the east. I could just barely see the shine of some human lanterns off in the horizon. Normally I would be riding my bumblebee at the time to the human settlement, but not wanting anyone seeing me take a dragonfly from the stables, I had to settle for simply gazing at it.

I managed to get back in the castle without anyone knowing the wiser, which meant I was completely shocked when my mother confronted me in my chambers the next morning about what in the heavens I had been thinking leaving the palace without any royal guards to protect me. To say I was speechless was an understatement. I don't think I even breathed, I was so surprised. I had never been caught before in the two years I had been sneaking out of my own home.

She ranted at me about how being royal, I was far more in danger of being accosted, killed, or kidnapped than anyone else in the kingdom; how I should just let the royal guards do their duty to the crown by keeping at least two with me wherever I go and always letting someone at the palace know where I was going; how I was an irresponsible child for letting my mother worry about my safety and whereabouts. Even as I argued with her back and forth for the next several hours, I never thought about how she could have possibly known I was out last night, specifically _where_ I was last night, at all.

I wasn't allowed out of my room for that whole day and my mother even requested that two guards be stationed outside my door and assigned on guarding duties the rest of our stay in Arias. I _was_ allowed out when Camile came calling.

I was still silently reeling when she let slip some vital information.

I looked at her quickly. "What was that?"

She glanced at me and licked her lips. "I said, my lord, that I was quite worried when I saw you leaving the kingdom by your lonesome…"

I stopped walking. "You were the one who told my parents?" I said, with hidden fury.

Her eyebrows crinkled. "Was I not supposed to? You could have been in danger, sire."

"I was not in any danger. I would appreciate it if you kept your findings private, Miss Leblanc." I gave her a dark glance and started walking again.

She wriggled her hands a little. "I apologize, Prince Cornelius. I was merely worried for your safety. I did not mean to cause trouble."

Though still upset, I nodded. "Apology accepted. How did you even see me leave?"

"I was taking a stroll along the outer edge of my property, sire. It was by chance I saw you heading outside the gate. I came by the palace this morning to make sure you were all right."

Given that she had told me she would be busy and unable to visit as often, I found this odd but didn't say anything.

I also forgot to ask how she knew I was up in a tree that night.

I believe I only really started to notice how strange the girl was a few days later. When my parents finally let me start walking around the palace by myself again, and I started having conversations with passing nobles, I noticed Camile would fleetingly mention details about my life or my kingdom that I only told those nobles I spoke with. I assumed it was just coincidence and that maybe she'd been given details by my mother's quite obvious attempt at getting us interested in each other. That is, until, I noticed that she knew _only_ the details _I_ specifically brought up in conversations – conversations that she was not a part of.

I also started to notice that she began wearing a lot more brown, gold, and red clothing much like my family wears. She seemed to not notice that the colors did not flatter her at all.

To say I started looking over my shoulder a lot more was an understatement. Most of my plans changed from escaping from the palace to escaping from _her_. Even then she still managed to find out where I was or where I was going. She had to have known she was accidently revealing the fact that she was following me. Or maybe she had servants watching me. I started to pay more attention to what faces kept popping up around me in the hallways.

This went on until the day of the festival arrived. Up first in the festival was the racing tournament between the guards atop the dragonflies, followed by a fencing tournament. The race, I was told, was inspired by the medieval jousting tournaments, which the eleventh Arian king took interest in. Unfortunately, the royal family could invite guests up on the podium with us, which meant Camile was invited to sit next to Queen Margaret. Fortunately for me, protocol called for Camile's seat to be on the right – and a step down – of Queen Margaret, to the Queen's left her husband, my father on his other side, my mother next to my father, and then I.

The day was fun. The real nightmare started later that night.

I was forced to escort Camile to the ball per my mother's order, but there was no way I was going to spend all night with her. So, whenever I got the chance to leave her I took it. Whether it was to dance with some other random girl or talk to some noble man that wanted to give me a few tips on whatever I didn't care. I even uncharacteristically approached some of the elder guests and introduced myself, making my parents proud and making me cringe. All the while I could feel Camile's eyes on my back and every time I glanced back at her she would be looking and grinning at me.

I know I'm supposed to act like the man I was, but back then the situation was just creepy and weird, so I just decided to ignore her until she hopefully noticed I wasn't interested. Eventually, some of her friends started asking me to dance. I accepted not knowing they knew her, but I soon knew differently. Almost immediately they'd bring up Camile in one way or another, possibly to see if I was thinking of courting her and surely, to tell her after whatever it was I said. Thankfully, when a noble girl is given the chance to dance with a prince, any friendships are thrown out the window in the face of a courting opportunity, so the girls quickly turned the conversation into their favor. Normally, at that age I'd tune out any conversation the girl made that pertained only to herself, but this time I pretended to care just to have a little more time away from Camile.

I couldn't really avoid her when she herself asked me to dance or when dinner was called, and she sat fairly close to me. Nor when at the end of the night, my parents and the Arian king and queen not so subtly enticed us to a moonlight walk – with a chaperone, of course. The walk just cemented the fact that I would never court this creepy girl at all and I couldn't be happier that we were leaving in three days.

We sat down at a bench with our chaperone a respectable distance on another. We stayed silent for a few minutes until she broke the silence.

"Is your kingdom as beautiful as I've heard?"

I nodded my head once. "I'd like to think so."

"I think it would be just marvelous to visit in the springtime. Your mother has told me the flowers in the valley are unlike any we have around here."

I pulled my hand away before she could lay hers on top of mine. "It's called the Vale, actually. Besides, I remember you saying you didn't like to travel."

She gave a high-pitched giggle. "I did say that, didn't I? Nice to know some boys do listen to a girl." She laid her hand on my arm instead.

I tensed. "Well? What changed your mind?"

"Why, how else will I get to see you, my lord?"

I frowned. "See me?"

She nodded her head and smiled. "Yes. It'd be terribly lonely only speaking to each other through letters. We'd have to send portraits to each other lest we forget what the other looks like. Visiting each other would solve that little conundrum quite nicely." Her smile widened, and she squeezed my arm.

I looked at her steadily and slowly asked, "Miss Leblanc, what are you talking about?"

"Well, I know that as a prince it would be much more difficult for you to visit me with you so busy with royal duties. It'd be much easier for me to visit you in your kingdom. And, please, my lord, you may call me Camile."

"Miss Leblanc," I said anyway, "are you suggesting that you and I are to court each other?"

"Of course, silly. Isn't that why we've been seeing each other the past few weeks?"

If seeing each other meant that the female party pursued the male party as he frantically found ways to keep busy without her. "Miss Leblanc, I think there's been some misunderstanding. I do not have the intention of pursuing a relationship with you."

She froze, smile still in place, but with a confused look on her face. "Excuse me?"

I looked at her head on. "I do not wish to pursue a relationship."

Her smile vanished. "Why ever not?"

"I do not wish to pursue a relationship," I repeat, a little slower.

She looked like she teared up. "It's me, isn't it? What's wrong? What did I do?"

"Do?" I ask confused. "You didn't do anything."

"Than why don't you want me?" she whines.

I sighed internally. "Miss Leblanc–"

She held up her hand. "Stop! I don't want to hear it." She turned around on the bench. "Please just go," she whispered.

I paused, glanced at the chaperone, and stood to go. "Alright." I started walking.

"Wait!" I looked at Camile. She stood up and got close, and I could see we grabbed the attention of the chaperone. "Don't go yet. Was it the walks? Did I tarry too long? I apologize, I just wanted to spend as much time as possible with you before you went."

I stepped back. "I apologize for the misunderstanding, Miss Leblanc, but I do not feel that way for you."

She shook her head. "No, you don't mean that." She stepped close again and leaned up. I held her arms away and turned my head, feeling her lips land on my cheek.

I sighed in relief as I heard the chaperone shout, "Miss Leblanc! Young lady, behave yourself."

I thought I had handled the situation well enough, and the chaperone could attest to the fact that I was not the one making advances. Nonetheless, my mother had a few – not really – choice words about it. Apparently, Camile went crying to her mother about me, who then went to the Arian queen, who then spoke to my mother.

Once it became apparent to my parents that I wanted no future with the poor, fragile Leblanc, they excused my behavior as being a young boy still too interested in sword play and studies and we left without further talk of courting or betrothals.

It wasn't the last I saw or heard of Camile Leblanc, but at least I didn't have to deal with her creepy behavior.

Looking at Red now from my cell, I couldn't help but compare the two girls. Both seemed to like talking, though Red seemed to talk more around the beetle, perhaps from knowing him longer. Both seem to have an eye on my kingdom, but Red had a more genuine curiosity. Both definitely liked singing, yet Red seemed to hum more than sing and usually kept singing to a very low volume. Both girls were easy on the eyes, but Red was by far more gorgeous than Camile was.

If there was anyone I had to be stuck with in this forsaken dungeon, it would definitely be with Red.


End file.
